Tipping / Gratuity
 

Last night I was headded over to a buddys house to chill. I didnt feel like cooking, and didnt want fast food. So I called up Chilli's for take-out. My bill was only $7.50, and I tipped the kid $2.00.

Question is this: Are you supposed to tip at take-away. I did because it wasnt the hostess that handeled my order, it was waitstaff. What are ya'lls thoughts?

I never do - considering I got in the car and went to pick it up. Part of the whole point of takeout is that you don't have to tip.

You tip for service by an individual. Life you should have tipped yourself the 2.00 bucks!;) :)

This was a major pet peeve of mine.....

While working as a bartender at a restaurant, we were supposed to take carry out orders. Fine, no big deal. But, the carry out sales were added to our total sales, which meant that we (as the bartender) got taxed on in-restaurant sales as well as carry out sales. So, in answer to your question, you should be tipping the carry out person in a restaurant. Other carry out places (like sub shops or whatever) don't follow traditional restaurant rules. Well, I think that you should anyway. :D

I don't know the rule, but unless the "take-out" person does something extra for me (like actually check the order, help me carry it to the car if it's a lot...) I don't tip them.

I never tip because it is their JOB to serve me and bring me refills on my drink.

You sound like Steve Buscemi in "Reservoir Dogs."

Holy shit dude.

I haven't seen the movie, but I just bought the "Pink" Dvd with Buscemi on the cover.

Gonna watch it tonight.

I think it depends on the kind of restaurant. When I used to get take out lunch orders from a reasonably nice restaurant downtown, I tipped the bartender who was the one who gave me my food and rang up the order. I figured he did as much as he would have done had I ordered a drink, and I would've tipped him then.

When I get carryout orders from a local deli, though, it never occurred to me to tip -- until I charged it and they have a line for "tip" on the receipt. I'll usually put on $1 or $2 then. I feel bad putting only $1, but if I'm getting a $4 sandwich, I guess that's enough. If I'm paying cash, though, I generally don't.

If you’re going to a restaurant where you would normally tip if you sat down for service then yes you should tip. I used to do ‘to-go orders’ and it sucks when you bag up some huge order for a family of five and get stiffed. It was always the after work commuters who would tip. Many restaurants have people that specifically do ‘to-go orders’ so if you don’t want to tip then I suggest you go get some fast-food so your not wasting anyone else’s time but your own.

Hahaha I read that and thought the *exact* same thing.....good movie! ;)

I don't see the tip as something that a person should receive, but as something they earn. I almost always tip about 15% at a restaurant. The times I won't are when the service is outstanding and then I will always give more. There aren't too many people that are outstanding waitstaff and I feel they deserve more than the 15%. The other time is when the service has been so bad then I don't give them anything. A tip is a privilage, not a right.

See, I had no idea of that. I don't think that is fair that those sales would go under an individual's sales to be taxed...they should be "house sales" or something like that. I think everything would just be a hell of a lot easier if they paid waitstaff & bartenders normal wages like everyone else.

I usually tip about 18-20%. A lot of the servers around here are college students just like me who are trying to make money to pay their tuition. Serving is not in their future career plans. I've never worked as a server but, in my opinion, I see it as one of the most difficult and thankless jobs. Working in retail, I've seen customers who will get angry over things that aren't your fault or take their stress from a bad day of work out on you. I can only imagine it being 10 times worse in the restaurant business since you're dealing with people's food. :) If the server was absolutely horrible, I will tip 12-15%.
Servers live off tips. Their wage is only $2 an hour plus tips. Yuck!
As for the to-go people...I will usually tip 15% since all they did was just wrapped up my food. Usually being the key word. I had some horrible service at Chili's To-Go last month. This girl was so mean and rude that I actually told her to her face, "I refuse to tip you" and I drove off (as fast as I could :) ).

I waited tables for 2 years in college. It sucks. If the person handing you your take out order is also the person waiting on tables (i.e. a server), then they are the one who rang in your order, and those sales go on their sales. Which means they have to claim a tip on them whether they got one or not.

Most restaurants (I'm not talking about really nice ones.. I don't know much about their inner workings) work like this: Servers and bartenders get tips from their customers. Bartenders are required to tip out their busboy/barback and food runners. Servers tip out their busboys, bartenders, and food runners. (If a different person is bringing food to most of the tables than the person waiting on them, that's the food runner). So if you tip your server 15%, after their tipouts they usually take home about 8% of that, which, at least in OH, is the MINIMUM they can claim they made off of their sales. I never met a server that didn't claim at least 10%, just to keep themselves safe from any IRS audits, etc. Which means they are often claiming more than they actually made that night. (Although I admit there are exceptions, and some nights they claim less. It usually balances out from the weekend nights and weekdays).

And yes, servers do make less than $3/hour from the restaurant. (Bartenders usually make a little more). I think if they should just be paid normal wages, too. And then tips would be "extras" for great service, like their original intention.

I tip 20%, unless the service is poor. Then I tip 15%, because I know they'll see about 1/2 of that. If it's exceptional, I'll tip more.

There used to be a great site called bitterwaitress, but I don't know if it's still up.

Yep, North America is the only place in the world that works on gratuities.

Since we're on gratuties, i'd like to advise some people about hotel-baggage tipping. It seems there's still a lot of ignorant people that don't grasp the service-gratutity concept. Although it varies considerably from staying at a dump (howard johnson) tooo let's say a Fairmont, most of the rules still apply.

Anytime a service is being provided you should tip. For example, if you check into a hotel and a bellman gives you a hand with your luggage and then parks your vechicle, $5 would be an appropriate amount for a 3.5/4 star hotel. If there is a doorman, valet and bellman (as you might find at the nicest hotels) then use your discretion to tip accordingly...like a buck for the doorman, 2 for the valet and whatever 3-5 for the bellman.

This is just a general guideline, if you want to tip more or less depending on your lifestyle, go ahead. Keep in mind tho that not-tipping at all over the duration of your stay will piss off a lot of guys...some guys i work will drive the shit out of cars because they didn't get $2.

But, being in Canada's capital we love Americans that check in, you guys tip the best
:)

There are a lot of people out there who are ignorant about baggage tipping - ignorant as in unaware. A LOT of people - particularly younger people - have never stayed in anything other than a Super 8 or other motel where you lug everything yourself. It's just something in our society that has changed over the past 50 years. At our last convention, I was double tipping the baggage guys because a lot of the collegians had no clue, nor had they been informed that they needed to bring pocket money for such things - they just didn't have the $$$ on them. But then again, when I was 19, the only time I stayed in a "nice" hotel was w/ my parents.

As a resturant manager/bartender, I thought I'd throw out my two cents here...

Lifesaver-Yes, you should tip the take-out person at least a little something, for the reason that Jadey stated (And good for you for doing so! You get a gold star :)). Servers have to pay taxes against their sales. A rule of thumb for carry-out, at least what I tell my dad, the carry-out king, is to tip AT LEAST what the sales tax is in that area (here 6%).

An additional thing about tipping, and my apologies if someone addressed this already-Servers (and bartenders) LIVE on their tips. Most servers make $2.13 or slightly more per hour. The aforementioned taxes come out of this money, often leaving a very, very small check. At my old job, my paycheck per week was often $4 or $5 after everything was taken out.

When in doubt, tip a little something :)

*Stepping off of soapbox*

Having lived and worked in a place where the service industry is king (Las Vegas) I always make sure to tip well.

My iron-clad rule: you start at 20% and it's all downhill from there. Bottom out at 15% unless the service is really sh*tty, then it can go as low as 10%. There are occasions where I've tipped 25% on outstanding service.

And if you're playing the games in Vegas, it doesn't hurt to remember:

Dealers: You can make a bet for them; on a craps game, make sure to let the stickman or the basemen 'boys play the line (or the field, etc.) (Even though there are female craps dealers, they're still the 'boys'.) Dealers only make minimum wage plus tips, and I remember when my younger brother's paychecks fluctuated based on the 24-hour tip split.

Bartenders, cocktail waitresses etc.: 15-20%

The maitre 'd at some shows and exclusive restaurants: palm him a $10 or a $20 to get a better seat.

Disclaimer:
I'm in the hospitality industry so I both hold staff to a higher standard AND give them a break...

Tipping can be such a tough thing. On one hand, if the server is outstanding, they deserve it. But if they suck, aren't they at all aware that their attitude is what determines their tip?? There seems to be a general assumption among many in the service industry lately (not all, but some) that "I'm going to get tipped anyway, why try?"

I base my tipping on just two things: if they try to rush me through my meal (I HATE THAT) when I explicitly state at the beginning of a meal to PLEASE take their time. The other thing is when a server is being scatterbrained and inattentive when taking my order/addressing the table. Other than that, 18% is my base point, and I go up.

One thing that I have to agree on is the lack of tipping etiquette knowledge among the younger generation.

Just a sidebar: I handle my own bags, because I cannot afford to tip EVERYBODY.

I'm not sure what the percentage is that my guy tips when we go out, but I know he has a base rate, and it can go up or down based on service. We had a waitress once that I'm pretty sure was drunk. I think she got $3 on a $30+ bill. And a note on the back of the reciept that the busboy deserved to get it. The service was *that bad*

What is the protocol for tipping a server at a buffet? There's this Chinese place we like to go to and we never know what to tip since its serve yoursef for the food, and the staff just brings drinks and clears tables.

Yeah, i don't know...to me if i plan on spending xxx amount of dollars at a hotel, you should factor in valet-service as a precost before staying there. The worse are the people that demand a lot of service and don't tip at all. Their car might sound a little differently on the drive home....

It would probably be a better system if there was an accrued cost for parking as it is with tour bus handling.

I really do find it unfair that waitresses and such only get 2.13 plus tips. I was a hostess at a restaurant so I really got to see what happened. People are cheap assholes. That's it. I hate to be so cynical, but it's true. They run their server all over, run up a $100 tab for 3 people (much of which is bar stuff) and then have the audacity to leave 2 bucks. 2 bucks, for a reference, would be ok if you were dining by yourself at somewhere like applebees, no liquor, no special requests. I say that when in doubt double the tax (if your area charges tax) as a base for the tip. One time, though, a waitress was a total bitch to me and I left her a nickel. That might have been wrong, but so was her attitude. I tip valets, baggage guys, hairdressers, to-go people at decent restaurants (not fast food, although I did once), and restroom attendants, but you don't see those very often. I figure it sucks being in there all day.

Oh, restroom attendants! Am I the only one who finds the concept annoying? I was just at a bar on Saturday night, and there was a bathroom attendant. It makes me horribly uncomfortable to have someone turning on the faucet for me and handing me soap and paper towels. Each time I left a tip in basket, and each time I swear she didn't see me, so I kept thinking when I went back that she was irritated with the dumb woman who didn't tip! I would so much rather just attend to myself in the bathroom.

Oh, I agree about the restroom attendents! I really can't stand them b/c I have been able to turn on the water and wash my hands for 20+ years ...ALL BY MYSELF!! Honestly, what is the point of them anyway? Millions of restrooms don't have them and function just fine! Of course I really prefer to do things for myself (carry my bags, park my car, etc.).

Yeah...when you're paying $15 bucks a day to park at some hotels and valet is the only option available...how are you supposed to tip then? Same as when it's "complementary" valet service?

At a hotel where valet parking is mandatory (most city hotels) with in/out privileges (no charge for every time you take your car out of the garage, it's one flat fee per night), tip about $2.00 when they retrieve your car and $1 when they take it and park it.

Thank you.
It's good to hear that you're on the trolly, whatever that means, heard it via the simpsons. This is also better than tipping a large amount once when you leave, one person may end up with all of that, instead of the guys who may have been parking your car all week.

ladybug1116
Whatever the hotel charges is a standard cost to park in the city. If you chose to park elsewhere, look to pay at least that amount without the security of underground parking. So, everytime you want something in or out of your vechicle, or looking to cruise the city, the valet provides all of that for you (for free if you don't feel like tipping).

Thanks for your responses...I did tip the valet whever they would go park/retrieve my car...I just wanted to make sure that was the right thing to do. I feel like such a cheapo only giving a couple of bucks but I noticed that others (professional people older than me) weren't tipping at all so I wanted to ask. I always tip 15-20% minimum for all other services. I tip my hairdresser 25% minimum...I figure my hair is in his hands and when I return I don't want to get my hair butchered b/c I was a cheap tipper :)

I really find it appalling that waitstaff get paid less than minimum wage because "they'll make it up in their tips". Tips are supposed to be rewards for good service, not the determining factor in whether you can pay your rent.

So what is an appropriate tip for carry-out? The tax here is 6%, is that appropriate? It is less work to handle a carry-out order than to wait on someone who's dining in.

And how do fast-food restaurants work? Do those folks still get less than $3/hour even though they hardly ever get any tips?

To be honest it all depends on what you order. Some meals can be put it one bag in two minutes but if you order something like fajitas for two then its going to require a bit more effort and time consumption to get it all packed appropriately. When I did to-go’s I never expected to get tipped the same as a waiter since I was dealing with customers at ten minute increments. A $1.00 per takeout order was pretty much average, $2.00 - $3.00 from the regular after work commuters and anything above that was a surprise.

Since I was a cocktail waitress in college, I ALWAYS tip a minimum 20%... if the service STINKS however, I will drop it to 10-15%.

Sure, I had a few cheapskates, but I easily made enough for rent
and partying working 3 happy hours a week and one full night.
If you are good at what you do and work in a trendy establishment, tips should never be a problem. Women were the worst, because a few would remove some of the tip their husbands/dates left. (An exception was this AWFUL guy I once dated.)
Since I've been on both sides, I can read a situation better than those who have never been in the service field. I KNOW when it is the wait person's fault or when the fault lies in the kitchen.

Home delivery-15%.

I too carry my own bags and Hubby parks the car.

I usually leave about 20% tip unless the service is bad, and my boyfriend always complains because he wants to know when it jumped from 15% to 20%. 20% is easier to figure out, anyway. (boooo math!:p)

haha yeah, nothing more pathetic than seeing rich guys driving solid cars yet not tipping at all....but don't worry, they'll get their come'often.